Bright Ideas Bloom at Youth School Holiday Workshops: Autumn 2026

Over the school holidays, we had the pleasure (with thanks to funding from Office of Youth Autum Holidays grant) of running two youth workshops. By providing these youth (12-25 year old focused) workshops, we commit to creating environments where young people can thrive physically, socially and emotionally in our communities.  

First up was a bush skills and play session at Bush Magic Adventures and young people worked together to create a raft (that floated when they sat on it!), lunch over the fire and gave archery a go plus lots of free play in nature. The elements of choice and team work really stood out as a highlight of the activities with one young person commenting on their favourite parts: “How we could do just whatever we really wanted. Archery and building the slingshot, building and playing on a raft all together”. Young people connected with nature through outdoor exploration, tool use and creative play. This approach embraces the principles of Risky Play, allowing children to test their abilities, assess risk and build resilience in a supported setting. Through problem-solving and play, participants physical coordination, emotional regulation and self-confidence was supported. 

The youth cooking session the following day at the University of Wollongong gave young people the opportunity to build practical food skills in a supportive, hands-on environment. Cooking together (pasta bake and salad plus carrot cake muffins, yum!) encouraged teamwork, confidence and independence, while reinforcing the foundations of healthy eating and nutrition literacy. The highlight was “Getting independent to cook our own meals plus that everyone was nice and it was really good food and eating!!” We also went on a walk around UoW looking and chatting about Uni life and the study options there. These skills empower young people to make informed food choices, supporting long-term wellbeing and aligning closely with Healthy Cities Australia’s focus on preventative health; nutrition, physical activity and social connection as the foundations of good health. 

Together these learning environments that value competence, choice, connection to place and trust in young people’s capabilities are important in supporting young people to feel connected. We also had the opportunity to speak with them about their understandings and values around Risky Play and what they see as important in determining their own lives as they grow. Their voices will be included and inform Healthy Cities Australia’s ongoing contribution around advocating for Risky Play and Play for Adolescents, an area previously that we feel is lacking but is of increasing importance in young people’s lives today.